Purpose 1 Business student Saroja Sherpa is originally from Nepal, where she lived for 24 years. While working for CARE International and the Peace Corps, where she was a junior secretary, she learned about the progressive ideas and values of American culture. In particular, she was affected by the idea that women should have no shame in being able to work in society. Eventually, her husband came to the United States, where they thought their son would get a good education. She followed the family soon thereafter, moving to New York City and babysitting (she loves children and even had another son, who is now a teenager). As a babysitter, Saroja began to build her fluency in English by reading children’s books with kids. But, for about a decade, she suffered from a lack of confidence, as she saw how much Americans studied. Ultimately, she decided to get a GED, after which she went to an adult learning center in Brooklyn. The first day there, her teacher, who was 84 years old, gave the class Chinua Achebe’s book “Things Fall Apart.” Saroja read it faster than all her classmates, and enjoyed doing so (she loves reading), which convinced her she was finally ready for college. She enrolled in the Professional Business College, did well, finished quickly, and discovered that all of her credits transferred to MCNY. So here she is!